Game Info
Kickoff: Saturday, December 28, 2024, 4:30 ET
Location: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Network: NFL Net
Writer: Chris Helle (@ChrisHelleQBL on Twitter)
Denver Broncos
Quarterback
Bo Nix: Start, QB1
Nix is the current QB9 on the season and has refound his stride after two down weeks with only 4 TDs and 5 INTs. This week Nix lands safely in QB1 territory going against a Bengals defense that has allowed the 6th most passing yards and tied for the 5th most passing TDs against them. The Broncos are looking to bounce back from allowing last week’s win to slip through their fingers, as well as lock up their playoff ticket. With how well the Bengals have been playing, this game could very easily turn into a shootout.
Running Back
Jevonte Williams: Flex Option, RB4
Jaleel McLaughlin: Sit
Audric Estime: Sit
Jaleel McLaughlin was held out for this past Thursday’s contest against the Chargers but should be expected to return to action this week. This backfield has been impossible to predict all season, and that will be the case now that it has one of its pieces back. If you have any of these backs, the risk of the split workload is simply too high to put your fantasy season on the line for. If there was one that would be the closest to startable, it would be Jevonte Williams. This matchup is fairly favorable, but Jevonte had only 24 yards on the ground last week without McLaughlin added to the mix.
Wide Receiver
Courtland Sutton: Start, WR2
Devaughn Vele: Flex Option, WR4
Marvin Mims: Sit
Troy Franklin: Sit
There’s no secret the number one receiving option on this team is Courtland Sutton. He’s accrued a 24.4% target share on the season, over twice that of any other player on this offense. This past week was his lowest number of targets since his goose egg in Week 7, but we can’t complain too much about a floor of 6 targets. This one should be a higher-scoring game and the Bengals’ secondary has struggled all season, so expect a bounceback from Sutton. There’s not much reliability within the rest of this room, but Devaughn Vele has seen the second most red zone targets behind Sutton since Week 8 so he gets the nod for a potential dart throw in hopes of him finding the endzone again this week.
Tight End
Adam Trautman: Sit
Trautman likely isn’t on your roster, and he shouldn’t be at this point. He splits time with Lucas Krull, and neither of them come close to the target share of the WRs. Look elsewhere if you’re streaming a TE this week.
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
Joe Burrow: Start, QB1
Burrow is leading the league in passing yards and has been on an absolute tear these past 7 weeks – he’s been a top-12 QB in every game since Week 9 with four top-3 finishes. The Broncos’ secondary has a reputation for being a difficult matchup, but they allowed Justin Herbert to throw for 284 yards and 2 TDs against them last week, as well as Jameis Winston‘s near 500-yard and 4 TD explosion two weeks prior. Burrow is willing his team to keep a foot in the door for playoff contention, there’s no way you’re benching him if you have him.
Running Back
Chase Brown: Start, RB1
Khalil Herbert: Sit
Despite not finding the endzone this weekend, Chase Brown had 91 yards on the ground and caught all 3 of his targets. Brown is the RB3 in points per game since he took over the backfield in Week 9, and this past week seems to have set his floor at a safely high enough level. He’s a bellcow on one of the hottest offenses in the league right now, so he’s a must-start. Khalil Herbert has only gotten 4 carries over his 6 week tenure in Cincinatti, so don’t bother picking him up off waivers for this one.
Wide Receiver
Ja’Marr Chase: Start, WR1
Tee Higgins: Start, WR2
Andre Iosivas: Sit
Ja’marr is simply unstoppable and there’s no need to labor the point that he’s a lock-start. Worth discussing is Tee Higgins, who caught 8 of his 11 targets for only 58 yards but a TD this past week. He did have a bust week back in Week 14 against Dallas, but his target share is still very valuable even with how much more efficient Chase has been on his receptions. If there’s any chance of Pat Surtain shadowing Ja’Marr, that only increases Higgins’ chances at having a big game.
Tight End
Mike Gesicki: Sit
The biggest concern for Gesicki is his snap share – he hasn’t seen more than 4 targets in a game over the last 3 weeks because he’s only on the field for a third of the plays. His usage seems to take an uptick in the absence of Higgins, but he’s far from reliable when both WRs are healthy.
No mention of how yall feel with Hollywood Brown? He looked decent last week with limited reps even